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A Mariachi band in Santa Fe. Photo by Jill Fisher.

A recent week spent in Santa Fe, New Mexico, provided me much joy from live music I don’t get to hear often – Mariachi to be specific. It’s one of those genres that has the power to transport me to an entirely different state of being. Linda Ronstadt’s 1987 album, Canciones de Mi Padre, first turned me onto the genre, reinforced by a subsequent trip to Mexico where being serenaded at dinner imbued its characteristic sound into my consciousness.

Generally very upbeat, with even a hint of polka, along with the little yelps, hoots and trills that accompany traditional Mariachi songs, this music just makes me smile. So it was one of the first things I sought out upon arrival.  

Entertainment at the LaFogata Grill in the historic section of Santa Fe was provided by a five-piece Mariachi band that included a father and his son. (Its members claimed there was no official band name!) The instruments they played included a violin, two acoustic guitars, a trumpet and best of all, a guitarrón mexicano (Spanish for "big Mexican guitar") which is a very large, deep-bodied, six-string, fretless acoustic bass guitar.

This group was great fun to listen to, especially when other diners in the restaurant began to sing along to what was apparently a well-known traditional Mexican song. Not understanding Spanish, the words were lost on me, but several of the tunes sounded familiar.

With the clarion trumpet, a beautiful falsetto vocal, and the lively tunes, the sounds were truly soothing to my soul. Now I know I must seek out more of this music, which I believe is possible at least in the Twin Cities area if not this far north.  

When this band ended their gig, I moseyed along keeping my eyes open for more possibilities to hear more local live music and a couple blocks away discovered the “Downtown Blues Jam” at Evangelos Bar, where Dancing was inevitable with Brotha Love & the Blueristocrats maintaining and insistent groove. It was certainly a lucky time for me, with these local blues men covering some great numbers. I might have stayed there until midnight to soak it all in if it hadn’t been for a bit of travel fatigue. 

Before heading to Santa Fe I had lined up tickets for a concert at the city’s historic Lensic Theater. Opened in 1931, the architectural style of the theater inside and out is Moorish/Spanish Renaissance and had been gorgeously restored 1998-2001. The 800-plus-seat-venue was located just a short two block walk from our vacation rental (yes, the Curmudgeon accompanied me on this trip).

A Black four-member a cappella group from Dallas, The Four Kings, performed seasonal music, mostly in a  jazzy style, even when covering gospel standards like “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and an “anthology of 40 gospel tunes in seven minutes.” Another medley the group performed was of songs from Disney films—most of them from recent movies I wasn’t familiar with, though I did recognize Jiminy Cricket’s “When You Wish Upon A Star” and "I Wan'na Be Like You” from The Jungle Book. The group’s most delightful number was their rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” demonstrating how versatile and wonderful the human voice is.  

Then there was Flamenco. I hadn’t thought about it, but of course the Spanish cultural influence must be strong given that the Spaniards colonized the area in the 16th century and it was part of Mexico before becoming a U.S. Territory in 1787 and a state in 1912. In any case, we were excited to find that at least three Flamenco troupes were performing in the city and were definitely up for experiencing this exotic music and dance while there.

We chose the one that was located downtown – El-Flamenco Santa Fe – which featured dancers from Spain. The percussive stomping, distinctive acoustic guitar and vocals, and graceful, flamboyant visuals of the dancers were most impressive. These are sounds and images that will remain with us even if we never get back to this part of our country (or Spain). It was a superlative finale to our brief visit.  

Having never been to this city (or even the state before) I found the stark geographic, economic, architectural and cultural differences between this city of 87,000 souls and Duluth, which is nearly as populous, to be remarkable. (Excuse the reversion to my city planning background.) The cost of living there is certainly higher than in our Zenith City. I kept wondering how there could be so many fine art galleries lining not only the streets of the historic downtown but also along the multi-block Canyon Road. I couldn’t identify any significant amount of manufacturing or corporate headquarters that could account for the evident affluence of the area. Of course Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, so perhaps that, in addition to its spectacular scenery that has attracted artists (and writers) and in turn wealthy retirees and tourists, is sufficient to explain it.

Thus it’s not surprising these differences are reflected in the music scenes between the cities as well. Viva la difference!  

So now, onto the music scene here in Duluth: As I noted in my Nov. 30 column, I decided to take in the Mannheim Steamroller concert at Symphony Hall at the DECC this past Thursday, Dec. 14. With much anticipation but little preparation (I hadn’t had my annual listen to a circa 1984 bootlegged cassette of the MS Christmas album beforehand) I arrived to find the place nearly at capacity – a good sign for the financially stressed DECC!

But here I must forewarn my readers that they might not appreciate my views on this concert. I wouldn’t be surprised if people think my opinion of it is out-of-touch, though I must say I didn’t see a soul in the audience I knew. Maybe none of the attendees of this concert even read this column.  

The show started promptly at 7:30 pm as advertised with a quite lovely overture, Bach’s “Aire On A G String,” while people were finally settling into their seats. When the house lights dimmed and the musicians came on stage, a light show began with the first number, “Joy To The World.”

My regular readers can imagine my reaction to this (not good). The number of musicians onstage was impressive—a regular orchestra with a full complement of instruments, including strings, oboe, horns, two grand pianos, timpani, gong, along with Moog synthesizer, electric and acoustic guitars and regular drum set. Indeed, there were so many musicians onstage, only half were individually introduced! Those in the string section were simply “The Mannheim Steamroller Orchestra.”  

As the first selections were performed (these were all instrumentals), one word kept coming to mind—“schmaltz!” It was quite the spectacle, which I acknowledge most everyone in the audience appeared to enjoy, judging by the ready applause for each number. But for me the flashing lights, Hallmark-type video projections, fake snowfall, etc. epitomized the commercialization of this religious holiday and corporatization of the band. The printed program documented that there are two separate MS Christmas presentations on tour—a “Green” and a “Red” tour. This concert was by the Red Tour cast.

I wondered, did I really listen to this stuff for years during December? Had I been concentrating on writing Christmas cards or decorating rather than really listening to it? But no, I have listened to it since and that early recording is really quite enjoyable.  

Midway through the program, right before intermission, a video providing background and an interview with the group’s founder, Chip Davis (1947-2022) was projected on the screen. I never realized that he wrote country music as well, the trucker song, “Convoy” being one of his big hits. After intermission we were subjected to a review of Mannheim Steamroller’s nearly 40-year run of success, with images of the albums and culminating in the claim that this remains the “#1 Christmas Tour!” (Did we really need to pay $$ to celebrate MS’s history?)

The popularity of this ensemble was reiterated with snippets of them playing at Universal Studios, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, on the Tonight Show, etc. What really bugged me were the images George W. Bush and Donald Trump (with their wives) attending MS concerts. Nice mixing politics into the whole scene!  

I did try to calm down, finally just closing my eyes to avoid the distraction of all the gyrating lights and visuals so I could actually listen to the music. For the most part it sounded like the music one hears in stores from the beginning of November throughout the holiday shopping season.

This is not to say there weren’t a few numbers that I appreciated. Indeed, after ending the second set and taking a bow, “Silent Night” with vocals was sung; no lights or videos (at first) which was quite nice. Reindeer bells and fog rolling out from the stage was an appropriate encore, at which point I departed.   In short, how I wished I had saved my money and used it to support the far richer, subtler and more enjoyable live music on offer by our local players. Hopefully I’m not coming off as an obnoxious grinch. I do wish everyone a peaceful and joyful holiday season full of wonderful music.            

On Saturday, Dec. 16, I attended memorials for two local musicians. The first was at Trinity Lutheran Church for Ensert Paul Glendon Robinson, AKA Prince Paul of Prince Paul and the Conscious Party who died of ALS on Friday, December 8. I did not know him personally and only heard his group perform on several occasions. However, as a big fan of Reggae, I can’t help but mourn his passing along with his family and the many many friends who attended the funeral and celebration of his life.  

The second was a gathering at the Depot to commemorate another gifted local musician, Dennis E. Cosgrove, who died on October 29. He was someone I never met and hadn’t known about until recently but I understand he performed with numerous local musicians (playing in the bands Easy Steam, Oasis, and The Tango) and composed original music for The Minnesota Ballet in collaboration with his wife Nancy Gibson. I’m sure he too is sorely missed by his loved ones and music lovers in our midst. My condolences to all.